A Welcome Return
by MystiiriousAbnormality
Summary: Finally, Luffy was king, and he and his crew returned to a friend from their early pirating days.
1. Strange Greeting?

**I do not own One Piece**

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Okay, so I realize that LuVi isn't the most popular category of OP fic, but I thought this up randomly one day as I was writing A Strange New Feeling and started writing. I had actually finished what will be about four chapters by the time I got back to ASNF, and I just forgot about this. Now, normally I feel that LuNa is the only good pairing for OP, but I just felt like writing this, even though with every paragraph I had to fight the urge to turn it into a LuNa, lol. So read on if you would like.

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A Welcome Return

_Strange greeting?_

* * *

It has been nearly one and a half years since they left this place. The Strawhat pirates had defeated everyone the world government threw at them in attempts to stop them. Almost out of nowhere, it hit the world, Strawhat Luffy, the once insignificant rookie pirate, had found one piece. His navigator had completed her map of the world, Sanji finally found the great blue, Franky decided to go back to Water 7 to see Ice-burg, and Brooke was reunited with Laboon. Zoro, unfortunately hadn't had another encounter with Hawk-eye, so he wasn't yet the greatest swordsman, but he was sure his time would come, soon. After leaving Brooke, Luffy and his crew decided to visit a good friend, so they changed course and would arrive in a little over two weeks.

The two weeks passed at a painstakingly slow pace, mostly because they were all looking forward to seeing her again. But, also because, there wasn't much to do on the way. They had a few scuffles with sea kings and the such, however, they hardly ever fought pirates or marines anymore, considering Luffy's new title.

Finally, they were there, "LAND!" yelled out Ussop as he jumped down from the crow's nest.

"Wahooo, finally we made it…" exclaimed an excited Luffy.

"Un…I can't wait." stated Nami as she got up from her chair.

"VIVI-SAN…..WE CAN FINALLY BE TOGETHER!!!" yelled Sanji as he pranced out of the kitchen.

They were almost in port when Robin walked out of the woman's quarters, looking a bit worried.

Luffy, who had a knack of seeing people's emotions, he smiled, "Robin, don't worry about it, I'm sure they forgave you long ago." He reassured her.

Robin only looked up at him and smiled, before looking down at the deck, smile still in place. Everyone was anxious to see Vivi again and catch up on stories and what not. They hadn't seen her in over a year and a half after all. However, Luffy felt more nervous than anxious.

They docked the ship and were greeted by a few soldiers of the royal guard. They were brought to the foot of the steps that lead up to the palace. The guards took their leave as the crew began to climb the steps. Just about halfway up, they saw someone at the top, and she instantly rushed down to meet them with a huge smile. When they were close, Luffy and the crew stopped, Luffy was a good ten feet ahead of the rest, who were walking behind him in a line. However, to the surprise of the entire crew, yes, this includes Robin and Zoro, she ran right by Luffy, without ever looking at him. He didn't turn around when she ran by, he just stood there, facing in the direction of the palace, in a state of wonder and slight disappointment.

The crew couldn't believe what they just saw, they couldn't fathom why Vivi would ignore Luffy, it just didn't make any sense. Every one of them had their mouths slightly parted in shock. Vivi stopped in front of the person in the middle of the line, which happened to be Chopper.

"I'm so glad to see all of you again." She said loudly as her smile grew, and tears slowly formed in her eyes. She walked over to Chopper and gave him a hug.

"Hi Vivi." He said, in a tone signifying that he was still deeply confused.

"Ussop." She said as she also gave him a hug.

"Zoro, Sanji." She said as she walked to each and gave them hugs.

"Ugh…" exclaimed Zoro in protest.

"OH….VIVI-SAN, ITS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU…..has our time away from each other deepened our affection, for I know this is the case for me." Sanji, of course in his love state. Nami glared at him in disbelief, Vivi only chuckled and walked over to Robin.

She said with a smile, "I know you as a criminal, but if they say your good, then I trust that you are, and I welcome you." She said as she also gave Robin a quick hug.

"Arigato." Robin replied, glad that she wasn't rejected.

Vivi then walked over to Nami and gave her a big hug. "Nami, I hope you've kept the boys in line." She said teasingly.

"Of course." Nami replied proudly, then her mood seemed to change, she was now in a puzzled state of mind, "Um…Vivi, why did you…." She started.

"And you…." Vivi said in an angry tone as she turned around to face Luffy, she began to slowly walk up to his back. The others were surprised by her tone and began to feel a little nervous, "The pirate king…." By now, Luffy had started to turn around to face Vivi with a blank expression on his face. Then, when she was only feet away from him, she jumped into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her head pressed firmly against his chest, right under his chin. He jumped at the sudden action, but he eventually put his arms around her and hugged her back. The crew was now dumbfounded as to what was going on. Vivi's eyes began to tear even more now, and she let out a few sniffles before pulling out of the hug. She was looking at the ground as she wiped away her tears and cleared her throat.

Looking back up at him, smiling, and turning to the others, "Let's get to the palace, I'm sure your all hungry." She said as he began to walk up the stairs. Everyone followed her, but the crew was baffled that Luffy hadn't burst into excitement at the mention of eating. Luffy was walking parallel to Vivi, only a few feet away.

"Um…Vivi?" asked Nami from behind.

She turned around to acknowledge her, "What is it?" she asked happily.

"Why…." She hesitated to ask, "why did you walk right passed Luffy?" she asked as her expression turned confused, as did the rest of the crew.

"Yea, what was up with that?" asked Ussop.

Vivi, turned her head, and hesitated for a moment before turning back, "Um…well, I just wanted to play with his mind is all, because he was the one in front…I…I just thought I would play a little trick is all…." She said before she started to chuckle nervously.

"Oh…is that it…" Nami replied, "Well you sure got us." She said as she smiled. But once Vivi turned back around, the crew looked at each other in confusion. They knew she made that up, just from the nervousness in her voice. So what was she really doing?

They had also noticed that Luffy hadn't turned his head, or made a noise at her explanation, which made them even more confused. But, they didn't want to push it, at least, not yet. So they all continued in relative silence until they reached the palace entrance and walked in, entering the dining hall and taking their seats. Luffy took a seat near the end of the table, and Vivi took her royal seat at the end, somewhat close to Luffy. The crew noticed this but didn't entirely think much of it, as they took their seats near the two and were served food.

Luffy ate in his usual manner, and the crew fooled around like they did at the celebration feast before they left the previous time. Nami looked over at Vivi, who had her arm up on the table, and her chin resting in her palm, she also had a warm smile. Nami also noticed where she was looking, and to her surprise, it was Luffy. Her eyes widened as she was about to say something, but felt someone's hand on her shoulder.

"Robin?" she asked in confusion.

"I noticed also, I don't think we should say anything yet." She told her with a smile as she turned back to finish eating. Nami only nodded as she turned back to watch Vivi.

About a half an hour later they had all finished and Vivi suggested that they all go into the bathhouse to relax for a while. Everyone agreed and followed her, this time, the boys were out of luck, Igoram had a wall set up between the woman's and men's sections. This made the guys frustrated, but none the less, they had a nice, relaxing bath.

/*/*/*/*/

Robin got up and said she would be in the guest room to read her book.

"Vivi?" questioned Nami.

"Yes?"

"Why did you really walk right passed Luffy when you came to greet us?" Nami seemed to be serious in her tone, Vivi felt herself getting nervous and her stomach began to churn.

"What do you mean….I…I already told you…" she replied.

"Yea…and I didn't buy it…" Nami replied with pursed lips, "So why then?"

Vivi slightly turned her head away from Nami and tilted it as she looked at the water, "Um…well…I guess…" she began to hesitate.

"Vivi…." Nami said teasingly.

"I couldn't look at him…" she said as she blushed, Nami had noticed and her eyes widened. 'No way…..' she thought to herself. She was just about to say something when Vivi suddenly stood up.

"I have to go do something." she stated in a hurry as she quickly left the bath and got her cloths on before leaving.

'Vivi…' Nami thought as she was getting more and more confused.

/*/*/*/*/

"Oi, Luffy?" asked Ussop.

"Hmmm?"

"You alright?"

Luffy looked at him in confusion, "Of course, why?"

"Well, when Vivi said we should go in to eat, you didn't do anything, usually you would be jumping around in excitement."

"Oh….ah, I just wasn't that excited to eat." He said in a mellow tone as he started to get out of the bath. He got to his cloths and put them on, before heading to the exit.

"Where are you going?" questioned Chopper.

He simply stated, "I don't know." before he walked out.

"What the hell…" Zoro blurted out.

"Yea, what's up with him?" added Sanji.

"I don't know, but I think it has something to do with Vivi…" said Ussop.

/*/*/*/*/

Vivi had left Nami in the bathhouse because she couldn't talk about why she did what she did. Luffy had left the men's section because he didn't really want to talk to the others about it. He decided to just take a walk in the city for a while, at least, until dinner. Vivi just went to her room to take a nap, trying to think things through.

It was now about time for dinner, so everyone went to the dining hall. With the exception of Luffy, who was just coming back from the city. Vivi seemed to be a little worried, for she had asked a few times where he was. Nami noticed how she was jumpy also; she was beginning to put things together. Just then, Luffy came into the dining hall and sat down in the chair he was in for lunch, without talking to anyone, and only glancing at Vivi. He wasn't all that hungry, and he felt nervous again.

"Oi, Luffy….where did you go?" asked Ussop.

"Ugh…I just went for a walk in the city…that's all." He said hurriedly as he grew a smile.

"Oh…okay…." Ussop replied suspiciously. The rest of the crew were looking at him in suspicion also. Nami looked at Vivi, who was looking at her plate with wide eyes; she seemed to be sweating a bit also. Vivi felt herself becoming more and more nervous, she fought the urge to look up and at Luffy.

Nami heard a giggle, "Robin?" she asked curiously, then, Robin whispered something into her ear, Nami also giggle as she turned to Vivi.

"Gee…it sure is hot in here, wouldn't you say…Vivi." She said teasingly.

Vivi looked up at her quickly with a look of horror on her face. She turned to Luffy quickly; he was looking down at his plate with an expressionless face. Nami noticed Vivi blush slightly when she looked at him, then when she turned to Nami again.

"Um…yea, I…" she started but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Maybe you have a fever…" suggested Luffy, who had his head down so his eyes were shadowed. Everyone looked to him and noticed a small smile. Vivi was just staring at him before she felt her heart start beating faster and faster. She looked around the table to everyone's faces, only Nami was looking at her, the rest at Luffy. She felt herself start breathing harder as the seconds passed, until, she shot up in her chair, and quickly made her way out of the dining hall. Nami watched her exit with a surprised look, as did everyone else, except for Luffy, who was still covering his eyes and smiling.

"What was that??" questioned Ussop.

"I think I know…" slyly stated Nami as she turned to Robin, then they both turned to Luffy.

Everyone was looking at the two, then looked at Luffy, who was still smiling, stood up, and slowly made his way out of the dining hall, the opposite side that Vivi had left.

"This is confusing me…." stated Chopper, grabbing his head.

"Aa…what's going on with Vivi…and Luffy seems off also." added Sanji.

"I don't really care." Said Zoro, everyone just scoffed at him.

Nami looked at Robin again, and they both grew smiles before going back to their food.

/*/*/*/*/

Once Vivi had left the dining hall, she started running; her heart was still pounding as she pushed open the doors to her room, locking them behind her as she jumped on her bed. She sat up after a few minutes and pulled a pillow to her chest, hugging it tightly. Her heart was beating normally now, but she still felt that feeling in her stomach. 'Why would she do that??' she asked herself as she felt herself become upset at what Nami had done. She was also worried that everyone might find out how she felt.

Luffy, once he got out of the dining hall, turned to walk down the hall before turning around the corner. He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. 'Damn….' He thought as his heart finally began to slow down, he had been very nervous the moment he had entered the dining hall. Although he only glanced at her for a second, he felt like he was going to die from the pounding of his heart. He couldn't look at her again or he thought he might actually do just that.

The crew finished up dinner and everyone decided to head off to bed, Nami and Robin left for a separate room, while the boys headed for their guest room.

/*/*/*/*/

A few hours had passed, and Ussop had woken up, only to notice that Luffy wasn't in his bed. He sighed and lay back down, closing his eyes.

Luffy was now leaning on a railing of one of the many balconies, just looking at the lights in the city below. Without his knowing, Vivi had walked onto the balcony also; however, she didn't make herself known right away. She was just standing behind him, watching him look at the city. That's when her heart began to pound hard again, and that feeling grew deeper into the pit of her stomach. She took a deep breath and walked to the side of Luffy, a couple feet away.

Luffy turned to her with a surprised expression, "Oh…Vivi….what are you doing up?" he questioned as he turned his head back to the city below.

She continued to look at him as she answered nervously, "Well….I…I guess I just couldn't sleep…what about you?"

Luffy sighed, "I don't know, I just didn't feel like sleeping…."

Vivi didn't say anything, then, after a few minutes of silence, Luffy finally spoke up, "Vivi…why did you walk right by me before?" he questioned her, "I felt really sad, I thought you didn't want to see me, that you were mad at me or something." He lowered his gaze to his hands.

Vivi felt herself get more nervous at his question, and what he said about feeling sad. "I…" she took a deep breath, "I was nervous…" she stated as she turned from him.

At her reply, Luffy looked up at her with widened eyes. "Nervous?"

"Un…I couldn't look at you, or talk to you, I was too nervous." She said as she took another step away from him.

"Nervous about what?" he asked as he stood up straight and faced her.

"Nervous about you, I had heard that you had become pirate king, and thought that you guys would come back for a visit. But then….when you finally came, I got scared. I was afraid to see you."

Luffy, who was becoming confused, asked her, "Why would you be afraid of us?"

Vivi sighed, "No…only _you_."

Luffy gasped quietly, "Me?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes you…Luffy, I…I was afraid to see you, because I…I like you." She blurted out as she took a few more steps away, still not facing him, bringing her hands up to her chest, she felt tears start to fall down her cheeks.

"Vivi?" he asked in a whisper.

"During the time I spent on your ship, I started feeling things I hadn't felt before….only around you. Then when you left to continue your adventure in the grand line, I felt sad, not just sad that you left, but I felt torn up, that's when I realized how I feel about you." Luffy noticed tears dropping on the floor, "I was afraid because I knew you don't feel the same way." She said in a hurry as she ran down the hall to her room.

"Vivi…" he yelled out as she was running away, but it was too late, she was gone. Luffy sighed and leaned back over the balcony. "So that's why…" he said to himself as he began to smile.

* * *

Well this is my first chapter. Reviews would be awesome, good or bad.


	2. Unrealized Discoveries

**I do not own One Piece**

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Well, here is the second chapter of this. Hopefully i can come up with a couple ending chapters soon, because although I still have two chapters that are already done, I would still like to try and make the end at least half non-suckish. Once I finish posting the rest of the story, I can continue work on my next OP fic, (A LuNa) but for now I want to finish this one. If your not a fan of LuVivi, well then i hear ya, cuz im not either, but bear with me.

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A Welcomed Return

_Unrealized Discoveries_

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_

The next morning, everyone gathered for breakfast, but then they noticed that someone was missing.

"Where's Vivi?" questioned Nami.

"Vivi-san…where are you??" yelled out Sanji as he pranced around the dining hall.

"Luffy…have you seen her?" asked Ussop.

"No, why would you ask me?"

"I don't know, just because." He replied.

Luffy furrowed his brows at Ussop, but continued eating until he was stuffed, then he got up and walked outside. The crew once again noticed that Luffy was acting strangely, but didn't want to bother him.

The rest of the day went by the same, no one saw much of Luffy, and no one saw Vivi at all. Vivi was in her room all day, she was crying on and off, thinking about what she said to him, and how she knew it to be true, that he could never feel the same about her.

Almost an hour after dinner, she finally came out of her room to use the bathroom and get something to eat. She saw the entire crew, with the exception of Luffy, still in the dining hall.

"Vivi-san…where have you been all day??" asked Sanji as he swirled around her in his love state.

"Vivi…what's wrong?" asked Nami as she got up and rushed over to her.

Sanji stopped swirling and looked at her; everyone else came over to her as well, with looks of concern on their faces. Vivi looked at everyone's faces, she felt herself feeling a bit scared.

"Wh…what are you talking about?" she asked nervously.

"Your eyes are all puffy, why have you been crying?" asked Nami again.

"What…ugh…d…don't worry about it…its nothing." She said as she pushed her way passed them so she could get to the kitchen. The crew just looked at her with worry, but they knew they shouldn't pry, so they left her alone.

After Vivi ate and used the bathroom, she made her way to the balcony and looked out at the city. She couldn't stop thinking about him, and yet again, she found herself crying. She fell to the ground and brought her knees to her chest as she sobbed.

"Vivi…"

She looked up, tears still streaming down her face, "Lu…Luffy." She said almost inaudibly.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern as he slowly walked up to her and held out a hand to help her up. She grabbed it and got to her feet, wiping her eyes.

"It's nothing…" she said as she walked passed him. However, Luffy had something else in mind. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, which made her turn around. She saw him looking at her with a blank expression, she couldn't turn from him. He moved closer to her, as he began to smile.

"You were wrong." He said quietly. Vivi's eyes widened, "What?"

"Last night…you said that you knew I didn't feel the same…your wrong." He said as he leaned into her, placing his lips gently onto hers. Her eyes opened to their limits as she stood there in shock. She couldn't believe it, then, she realized that he was kissing her, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and started to kiss him back. He brought one hand up through her hair, cupping her head, and the other he had on her lower back. It was a gentle, passionate kiss; he licked her lips, which sent tingles down her spine. She parted her lips and he entered her mouth with his tongue, gently playing with hers. They didn't know how long it had been, but Luffy slowly pulled away and looked at her. She had her eyes closed still, and her lips still slightly parted. At that moment, she felt so happy; her heart felt like it was going to jump right out of her chest. After a minute of just holding each other, she finally opened her eyes. She smiled and leaned her head against his chest.

"Did you mean it?" she asked softly.

Luffy smiled, "Every word."

Vivi felt tears start flowing down her cheeks again; Luffy felt them through his shirt so he hugged her a bit tighter. He knew they were tears of joy, so he didn't want to say anything.

After a while, Luffy walked over to a chair and sat down, he was looking at Vivi with an almost expressionless face. She smiled as she slowly made her way over to him with her arms crossed. She curled up in his lap and laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes.

"You know…that was my first kiss." She said in a soft voice.

He only replied, "Mine too." As he wrapped his arms around her and also closed his eyes, smile on his face.

/*/*/*/*/

The next morning, Luffy woke up, looking at the sky, he thought it might be time for breakfast, so he got up and headed down to the dining hall. On his way, he remembered last night, and smiled. He really liked her, more than he probably should for the amount of time he knew her. He entered the room, and took his seat. Everyone was already there, including Vivi.

He looked up at her and smiled; she saw him and smiled back, before looking back to her food and finishing up.

Nami noticed their transactions and grinned, hatching an idea, "Luffy, I heard that you weren't in the guest room last night."

Luffy looked up at her quickly with a surprised expression, but it soon turned into one of nervousness, "Um…I was…well…I slept out on one of the balconies." Vivi was also looking at Nami nervously, she looked back at Luffy, who glanced over at her, then looked down at her plate with wide eyes.

"Oh…is that it?"

"Aa…"

Vivi got up and turned around, just standing there for a minute, before leaving.

"What's up with her?" asked Zoro.

"I have a hunch." Nami whispered to Robin, who giggled.

"What was that Nami?" asked Ussop.

Nami looked up at him, "Oh….nothing…" she turned to Luffy and grinned. Luffy just looked back at his food and quickly finished eating.

"My poor Vivi-san…." exclaimed Sanji.

They sat there for a few silent minutes before everyone got up and walked off.

"Wait just a minute." At hearing this, everyone turned back to the other side of the dining hall, it was Igaram.

"There will be a banquet this evening to celebrate a new ally of Alabasta, Princess Vivi has asked that you all be invited."

"Oh…that sounds great." exclaimed Nami.

"Un…" said Robin as she smiled.

"Ugh…" exclaimed Zoro.

"You are to dress properly, clothing can be found in the many closets in your rooms." He said as he walked off.

"A banquet…how fun…" said Nami.

Luffy just walked off, without saying anything, everyone watched as he left the dining hall. "What's up with him now??" asked Zoro.

Nami and Robin giggled, "What?" asked Ussop.

"Oh nothing…" they both replied.

/*/*/*/*/

The day had passed in much the same way as the day before; no one saw much of Luffy or Vivi. However, it was almost time for the banquet, so Luffy went back to the guest room and saw the guys.

"Luffy….where have you been?" asked Ussop who was looking through some clothes.

"Oh…nowhere really…." He replied as he walked over to one of the closets with a frown.

"What's wrong Luffy?" questioned Chopper, who was sitting on his bed, watching the others pick out clothes.

"I don't wanna dress up…" he whined.

Chopper just laughed as he watched Luffy looked through some of the clothes. Luffy took a shirt and dress jacket with matching pants and shoes, then he just walked out of the room.

"Alright….something is seriously wrong with him." stated Ussop.

"Aa…" agreed Chopper. Sanji and Zoro only nodded in agreement.

Luffy walked to one of the many bathrooms and got dressed, pouting the whole time. He didn't like dressing up, but he didn't want to disappoint Vivi, so he forced himself to do it. He finished up and walked back to the guest room, throwing his regular cloths on his bed, then walking back out.

The guys just watched in slight amazement, they had never seen Luffy dressed like that, and it was just somewhat strange.

Luffy walked to the balcony that he went to the past few days, and leaned over the railing, looking at the sunset.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Luffy turned around to see who it was, then his eyes widened. "Vivi…" he felt his heart start to pound faster. She was wearing a gorgeous blue dress that matched her hair, with matching heals. The dress was somewhat tight to her figure, which made Luffy blush as he looked her over, that caused her to blush also. The V neck opened up down a good ways of her breast line, it had small spaghetti straps, and there was a slit on the left side that went up to her mid thigh. Her hair was up in a bun, and she had a small necklace on.

"You look…..beautiful…" he said, as he continued to look at her.

Vivi smiled at him, "You look pretty good too."

Luffy was wearing a red dress shirt, of course, with a black dress jacket and pants. He looked so different from the way he usually did, but yet, very much the same.

"Um…it's time for the banquet…could you, possibly…escort me in?" she asked nervously as she turned away from him.

Luffy didn't say anything, but walked up beside her, sliding his arm around hers. She turned to him and noticed his smile, she smiled also as she looked ahead and started walking to the banquet hall.

They got to the doors and Vivi took a deep breath before Luffy opened the doors for them and walked in. Everyone was already inside, no one seemed to notice the entrance, for everyone was talking, awaiting the arrival of the princess.

"Where are you sitting?" Luffy asked.

"Up by my father." She said as she started walking towards her seat, pulling Luffy with her. Luffy escorted her to her seat, but when they got there, everyone in the room seemed to notice and it was silent. Luffy felt himself getting nervous, for even though he didn't see anyone, he knew they were all looking at Vivi and himself. He pulled out the chair for her, and pushed it in for her as she sat down.

At the table that Luffy's crew was sitting, "Oi, what does he think he's doing….that bastard…" seethed Sanji.

"Shut up ero-cook." said Zoro in a bored tone as he watched Luffy with furrowed brows.

Vivi turned to Luffy with a smile, "Arigato."

Luffy nodded and walked down to the table the rest of his crew was sitting at.

Taking his seat, he noticed that a good portion of the room was still looking at him, "Oi, Luffy you bastard…what did you think you were doing???" asked Sanji angrily, but not so loud that everyone could hear him.

"Vivi asked me to escort her in, so I did." He said with an expressionless face.

Nami and Robin giggled quietly as they watched him, they could tell he was nervous.

After about an hour of King Nefertari giving a speech and all the good stuff like that, the alliance charter was signed and then the celebration begun. Food was brought to the tables, and everyone began to eat.

Luffy was actually eating with manners, and a fork. This surprised his crew greatly, but it also caught the eye of Vivi, who only smiled and continued eating herself. After the meal was complete, music started playing, and small groups of people began to get up to dance.

"Robin-chwan…would you like to dance?" asked Sanji in his love state.

"No thank you cook-kun." Is all she said before he started rolling on the ground in sadness, then after a minute or two he got up.

"Nami-swan…wou…."

"No…." she said as she started talking to Robin.

Sanji just sat down and put his head on the table in depression. Vivi had walked over and sat near Nami and Robin, she looked at Luffy a few times before sighing and giving her full attention to the two women.

Sanji opened his eyes and noticed Vivi, he stood up straight and was about to say something when he noticed Luffy stand up. He walked around the table and stopped at Vivi, holding out his hand, not saying anything, only a smile on his face. She also smiled as she took his hand and stood up, both walking over to the dance area.

Everyone at the table was completely surprised, even Nami and Robin. Sanji felt himself start getting angry, but refrained from doing anything, only placing his head back on the table.

They danced together for the remainder of the night, but now, it was the last song, and it was a slow one. Luffy put his arms around her waist; she put hers around his neck. They gazed into one another's eyes as they moved with the music, slowly finding themselves closer and closer to one another. Towards the end of the song, their noses were touching, that's when Luffy put his lips onto hers.

She felt her lips tingling at the touch of his, a shiver down her spine as she kissed him back. He was gently sucking on her lips before she parted them for him. He entered slowly and played around with her tongue for a while before pulling away. They both opened their eyes and smiled at each other, but then noticed that a good amount of people were looking at them. This made Vivi blush and look up into Luffy's eyes, he was smiling at her.

He started to talk very quietly, for only her to hear, "You know, when we docked at port, I was really nervous about seeing you. I thought about you a lot after we left. And when you walked right passed me the other day, I felt horrible, I thought you hated me."

Vivi only smiled at him, then she leaned up and placed a gently kiss on his lips and pulling him to the door to leave, considering there were still a bunch of people watching them, his table however, had been blocked from view thanks to the many couples on the dance floor.

/*/*/*/*/

Vivi noticed that it was late as they were walking down the hall from the banquet. She brought him to her room, then locked the doors behind her. Luffy was looking around in her room, then he started to turn to her, "Vivi I'm not sure…." He was cut off by Vivi placing her lips onto his, forcing her tongue into his mouth and playing around inside. Luffy was so caught off guard that he had no time to kiss her back; she pulled away and smiled as she walked into a door, closing it behind her.

Luffy was still thinking about what she just did before taking his jacket off and placing it over a chair. Then he noted a window and walked up to it, looking at the lights of the city below. He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he finally stopped looking out the window, from hearing the door open, he turned to see Vivi walking slowly up to him. She was looking down at the floor as she walked. She was wearing a blue night gown, it was really tight, in a certain area. He started to blush as she walked closer.

"Vivi, what are you…." Cut off again by her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. Luffy pulled away and turned around.

"Luffy…" she said, in almost a sad tone.

"Vivi…I don't know if that's a good idea."

"What do you mean; I like you Luffy….a lot." She exclaimed as she took a step towards him.

"Well, I like you too…but…"

"But what??" she asked, Luffy noticed that she sounded about to cry.

"I just found out how you feel last night….don't you think it's a bit sudden?"

"Well…I guess, but…" she took a deep breath, "Luffy, I feel different around you." She said as she turned her back to him.

Luffy turned to her, "Different?"

"Just looking at you makes my stomach twirl, and when I notice you looking at me, I feel myself burning up….when I get close to you, I feel light headed, and when you touch me, I feel a tingle through my whole body." She turned to him with tears in her eyes, "Luffy you make me feel like no one ever has, and I like it, I like you Luffy….it's probably too soon to say I love you, but…." She turned around again, "I hope we can get to that point someday…" Luffy noticed that she was really crying now.

"Vivi….I…" he was interrupted.

"Just go…." She said in a pained voice as she motioned to the door.

"But…."

"Please…."

Luffy felt himself droop, he slowly walked up behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her. He leaned his head in beside hers and whispered, "Everything you said…..I feel the same way."

Vivi's eyes opened wide at his words. She turned her head to his and was greeted with a gentle kiss on her lips. Then he let her go and slowly made his way out of the room. Vivi was just standing there in shock, the good kind of shock mind you. She smiled and climbed into bed, pulling her covers up, closing her eyes, and drifting off to sleep.

Luffy made his way to the guest room where the guys were, he walked in to notice everyone already sleeping. So he got in his bed, and closed his eyes, thinking about Vivi. He smiled before finally falling asleep.

* * *

There's chapter two. I actually enjoyed writing this story, but I don't really like the idea of a Luffy/Vivi pairing. But, I had already written a few chapters, so why let them go to waste, someone might enjoy a LuVi fic. As always, reviews are appreciated, good or bad.


	3. Secret notes are always fun

**I do not own One Piece **

A Welcome Return

_Secret notes are always fun…_

_

* * *

_

The next morning, after she had taken a shower, Vivi made her way down to the dining hall. The whole way she could only think about _him_. When she finally entered, she slowly headed for her chair at the end of the table, glancing at Luffy with a big smile before turning to the others.

"Good morning everyone." She said happily.

"Good morning Vivi." Nami said sleepily as she continued eating her breakfast.

"Good morning vivi-san!!!!" exclaimed Sanji in his love state as he twirled up to her.

Vivi furrowed her brows, "Morning…."

"Would you like to go on a romantic walk this afternoon my beautiful flower?" he asked, still in his love state.

She forced herself to smile and face him, "No thank you, I'm far too busy."

Sanji frowned and sadly made his way to his chair, plopping back down. Luffy glanced up at Vivi and smiled, she noticed and stuck her tongue out at him then grinned. This made Luffy chuckle as he continued to eat.

"What's so funny Luffy?" questioned Ussop.

"Oh…nothing…." He said, smile on his face.

"Whatever…." He said, losing interest as he also continued eating.

"Well…that was a fun banquet last night." Nami said, mischievous grin plastered on her face.

Vivi looked up at her with pursed lips, she knew that Nami knew how she felt about Luffy, and she was just bugging her about it.

"Aa…it sure was…" said Robin who also grew that same grin.

Both of them looked from Luffy to Vivi, noticing that they were both glaring at them with pursed lips. Then Ussop changed the subject, noticing the awkwardness of the situation. Everyone had a long chat about what had happened in the time they were out on the grand line without her. She enjoyed hearing about the adventures of her good friends. But then after a few minutes of silence, Vivi got up.

"I'll be in the assembly room with my father and his advisors for awhile; I'll meet up with you all for lunch." She said as she walked to the opposite side of the room. On her way, she passed by Luffy, gently sliding her hand from shoulder to shoulder, Luffy smiled as she did this. She continued walking out of the room, when Luffy noticed that there was something that fell down his back to the chair. He reached behind him to see what it was and grabbed a small piece of paper. He looked at it for a minute, holding it on his lap so that no one would see it.

It read:

_Meet at the main stairs after breakfast._

He smiled again as he crumpled it up and put it into his pocket, Nami, of course noticed his series of smiles.

After breakfast, everyone left the dining hall, Luffy, following instructions, headed off for the main stairs. Once he got there he saw Vivi leaning against a railing. He walked up behind her and poked her sides with his pointer fingers. She jumped at the tickling feeling and turned around with a smile.

"Took you long enough."

"Well, I do like to eat…." He said as he grinned at her. "So what is it?"

"Well….I was wondering if maybe you would like to…." Luffy cut her off.

"Isn't that supposed to be my job??" he questioned teasingly.

She giggled, "I guess…but you don't know anywhere to go to…"

"Ah…that's true…so where do you think would be a good place?"

She smiled, "Hmmm….how about we go and watch a play at the theatre?"

Luffy whined, "A play??"

"Yea, you'll have fun…I promise." She stated as she pulled him down the stairs, to the city streets below. She dragged him, almost literally, to the theatre. Once they entered, they were taken to a balcony that was meant for the royal family's exclusive use, but friends were allowed. So they sat down as the play started.

Much to Luffy's liking, it was more of an action play, with lots of fighting and the such. He was having fun, but not as much as he would like. He pouted; he thought he could be doing hundreds of things more fun with Ussop and Chopper. Then he turned to Vivi to complain, only noticing that she was looking at him with an almost expressionless face, eyes glistening. Luffy seemed to be mesmerized by her sight, and considering she was in the seat beside him, her face wasn't even a foot away from his.

So Luffy slowly moved closer to her, until he closed his eyes and placed his lips onto hers. She also closed her eyes, almost immediately opening her mouth for him; he gently played around with her tongue. He liked kissing her; it made him feel really good. Not only that, but it made him feel that much closer to her. They made out for a while, probably around fifteen to twenty minutes, considering they had already watch most of the hour and a half play. Once he pulled away, he looked at her smiling face, with her eyes still shut. They decided to stay for another play, this one was only an hour, however, they didn't watch one second of it.

During every kiss they shared, it made her feel like she was falling, the feeling was so intense that she thought she couldn't take it much longer. But finally, the play ended and they took a break. She didn't necessarily want it to end, but she was having a very difficult time breathing, and the feeling was just too much. She smiled at him, she liked the feeling, and it was very….pleasurable, but sometimes too much of a good thing is just too much, or not.

"Well, I think we should head back, by the time we get there, lunch would probably be served."

"Aa, let's go." He agreed with a warm smile as he stood up, taking her hand as they walked out.

When they finally got to the beginning of the steps, she stopped him, "So Luffy, did you have fun?" she asked sarcastically.

He smiled and turned his head slightly, "Maybe…." He replied teasingly, as he turned back and placed a gentle, warm kiss on her cheek. She smiled and they headed up the stairs, still holding hands. They walked into the dining hall, quickly letting go so as to no one would notice, and took their seats.

"Oi…Luffy, why did you come in with Vivi-san?" questioned Sanji angrily.

He didn't hesitate for a second, "I was walking around at the front of the palace and she walked by and told me that it's time for lunch, so I walked here with her." He replied as if it were obvious.

Sanji looked at him for a second before shrugging and turned back to his plate. He didn't suspect a thing, no one did, besides Nami and Robin. Coincidently, Igaram had joined them today.

"So Vivi, how was the meeting with your father and his advisors?" asked Nami menacingly.

Vivi looked up at her in disbelief, as if asking her _why? Why do this to me? _Nami only grinned as Vivi turned to Igaram when he started talking.

"What are you talking about; the king left the country this morning to negotiate a new alliance with Yarduina."

Vivi looked around nervously, and Luffy also looked a bit nervous as he looked at everyone.

"Princess, why would you lie to them like that?" asked Igaram in confusion.

Vivi looked from Luffy to the others as she felt herself getting nervous to the point of throwing up. She looked at Luffy one last time before quickly standing up and running out of the room.

"What was that?" asked Ussop.

"Something's up with her." stated Chopper, getting worried.

Everyone but Luffy started talking about what the problem may have been, Nami was watching Luffy carefully. However, Zoro left to go train, and Sanji went looking for Vivi, but he had no idea where to look, and never ended up finding her. Nami and Robin continued to talk about womanly things which made Ussop and Chopper leave. Igaram had left a while back in order to do some work around the palace. Luffy got up and walked out of the dining hall. He made his way up a few floors before getting to the floor that his guest room was on. He had a good idea of where she might be.

"Hiding are we?" he asked teasingly.

Vivi turned around and looked at who had spoke, smile creeping up on her lips, "No, not really."

Luffy walked up to her on the balcony, "Nami really has it in for you huh?" he asked with a grin, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her back into his front. She giggled and tilted her head up to his.

"Un….why does she have to do that??"

Luffy chuckled, "Who knows…."

She smiled and let her head lean back into his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, until Vivi turned around and looked him in the eyes. She slowly leaned into him, locking lips. She smiled through the kiss as he started to gently suck on her lower lip, then moved to her upper lip. Then she pulled away and looked at him again.

She pulled him over to the same chair and sat him down, climbing onto him and curling up, like the other night. Luffy wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes; he didn't mind taking a nap until dinner.

/*/*/*/*/

Vivi woke up and noticed that it had started to get dark; she poked Luffy's stomach to wake him up. After a few more pokes, he finally opened his eyes in surprise.

"Oh…Vivi…" he smiled up at her, "What's up?"

"It's time for dinner, so wait a minute to come down, okay?"

"Yea sure, just make sure they leave some food for me." He chuckled as she walked down the hall.

She giggled to herself as she made her way down to the dining hall. She greeted everyone and took her seat, beginning to eat. Luffy walked in a few minutes later, complaining that no one bothered to get him, trying to hide the fact that he had been with Vivi.

"Oh, Vivi-san…Where were you, I couldn't find you anywhere…and why did you run off like that?" asked Sanji.

"Ugh…I was in my room…I wasn't feeling very good." She replied nervously, but he didn't think anything of it.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked in concern.

She turned to Luffy briefly and smiled, "Un…I'm just fine."

"Well that's wonderful news Vivi-san." Sanji replied in his love state.

Everyone talked for a long while, laughing, sharing stories, memories, jokes. It was a great night, Nami was passed out drunk, so Robin brought her up to the room, and also went to bed. Sanji and Zoro were also pretty smashed, so Chopper gave them some sleeping pills and they were out cold, he brought them to their room and came back to talk with Ussop. They were all sitting at the end of the table near Vivi, who was playing footsies with Luffy and kept giggling every once in a while. When Ussop or Chopper would ask what was so funny she would just shrug.

"Princess, I think you should head to bed, you need to be up early tomorrow." reminded Igaram.

She nodded and gave a little goodbye kick to Luffy as she stood up. "Good night guys." She said as she headed off.

"Well, I guess we should probably go to bed too, huh?" exclaimed Ussop. Chopper and Luffy agreed, and the three walked up the stairs to their room.

Luffy jumped down on his bed, not really tired, and heard something under his covers. He furrowed a brow and lifted the covers to reveal a piece of paper reading: _Balcony._ And it was as simple as that, he left the room when he was sure Ussop and Chopper were sleeping.

"You called." He said as he put his chin on her shoulder.

She chuckled, "Yea…follow me." She said, pulling him down the hallway.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked, in an over-exaggerated tone.

She giggled and turned to him, "Your sleeping in my room tonight." She said with authority. Luffy didn't question her and only smiled as he continued to follow her. She opened her doors and let him in, before locking them and telling him he could use the bathroom if he needed. When he was finished, Vivi also used the bathroom; Luffy got under her covers and put his hat on a nightstand. When she came out, he blushed a deep red, making her smile; she walked up to the bed in a very tight black nightgown. She slid under the covers and snuggled up to Luffy, he made a throaty noise at this but put an arm around her. She blushed and leaned up to kiss him before saying goodnight and dozing off, still snug against his body.

/*/*/*/*/

Luffy woke up in the middle of the night, he didn't know why, because he usually slept great, not waking up at all until morning. He looked around and remembered that he was in Vivi's room, then he realized something, Vivi wasn't there. He looked around a bit, but couldn't find her; he got up and walked to the bathroom, not there. He noted that the doors were still locked, so she couldn't have gone that way, then, as he turned around, he saw the window wide open. He rushed over to it only to see Vivi being carried away by a group of men. He jumped down to the lower area of the palace, then he jumped the rest of the way down to the ground.

"Oi!! Stop!" he yelled as he chased them down. As he got closer to them, he saw that Vivi was tied up and gagged, and he also saw the tears running down her cheeks.

"VIVI!!!" he screamed as he tried desperately to catch up to them. This gained the attention of a good portion of the people living in, and directly around, the palace. As the men stopped, they threw Vivi to the ground and faced Luffy, who stopped about twenty meters away. He just stood there and looked at them for a minute or two, and by this time, a few palace guards were running up to him, along with the rest of his crew.

"Luffy…what's with all the yelling?" questioned Nami, aggravated that she had been woken up. That's when everyone who had just arrived noticed the men…and Vivi on the ground behind them.

"Vivi!" yelled the crew, "Oi, you bastards, just what do you think you're doing with my Vivi-san??" questioned Sanji as he began to storm up to them, only to be stopped by Luffy.

Sanji looked at his captain and noted the expression on his face, he then proceeded to back off without saying a word, truth be told, he was a bit scared for the men.

Luffy then began to walk slowly up to the first man, who also began walking up to him. When they were about ten feet away from each other, Luffy dashed forward and punched the guy right in the gut, causing him to fall to the ground, and curl up clutching his stomach. Then another one of the guys pulled out a gun and shot at him, only to realize its ineffectiveness, but it didn't seem to faze them. Luffy knocked him out with one swift blow to the head, leaving only two more to take care of. The others decided to fight in conjunction, one pulling out a pair of blades, the other, just a plain old wooden staff. The one with the swords charged ahead of the staff, who was right behind him, Luffy was cut on his right arm as he was dodging, but wasn't quick enough to get fully out of the way.

These two seemed to be much stronger than the others; however, Luffy easily grabbed the one with the staff, and slammed him into the other, rendering them unconscious. With the men out of the way, Luffy ran up to Vivi and untied her, then took off her gag. She immediately threw herself into his arms, and began sobbing. Luffy put his arms around her, and pulled her into a tight embrace. She cried into his chest for only a few minutes before she got her composure, stood up, and looked him in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a soothing tone.

She nodded, "Thank you." She whispered, a slight smile visible on her face.

Luffy only smiled in return and walked her back to the palace. The guards took care of the men, and the crew also returned to the palace, although, they had tried to "extract" some information out of the men before they headed back, unsuccessfully however.

When they got to the palace, Vivi got a glass of water for her throat, which was swollen due to all of her crying. Luffy then walked her up to her room and laid her down on her bed, then he sat down beside her.

"What happened?" he asked, looking down to the floor.

Vivi sighed and sat up, "I don't really know…all I remember is being grabbed, pulled out of bed, gagged, tied up, then they carried me out of the palace…" she said as she began to feel herself tear up. She leaned back into his chest, and he put his arms around her and held her there for a few minutes. "But…I feel like I saw someone farther out in the darkness…but if it was him, then we are all in a lot of trouble…"

"Who?" asked Luffy in curiosity.

"Well, I'm not sure, but I thought I saw a man who has been an enemy to my father ever since I can remember. But, only a few months after you had defeated Crocodile, he was taken by the marines."

"What did they do to him?"

"No one knows, and they won't answer any questions we have…"

"Let's hope that never happens again." Said Luffy as he laid himself down, still holding Vivi. He felt her nod. She fell asleep shortly thereafter, her head still on Luffy's chest. He thought about what had happened, and what could have happened if he hadn't woken up when he did. However, thinking about that only made him more frustrated, so he shook it out of his mind and dozed off with Vivi in his arms.

* * *

Yea, yea, I know, it gets sloppier with each new chapter, but what can i say....


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